Ian Sample

speaker

2,123 appearances 29 recordings 3 series first heard Apr 2026 last heard 4d ago

Ian Sample’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.

Trend

recordings per month · last 12 months

Recordings per month over the last 12 months — 29 in all, peaking in Jun 2026 with 8.

Appearances

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Science Weekly · Revisited: Saunas and cold plunges, where does the evidence stand? · 30 Jul 2026 podcast

Heather's actually involved in a randomized controlled trial focused on anxiety and depression. voice-verified

And the results from that should be out later this year. voice-verified

So it's going to be really interesting to see what that finds. voice-verified

Regular cold water swimming can improve blood pressure and fat levels in the blood for people who are in good sort of general health. voice-verified

But obviously, if you have a heart condition or other medical issues, you really need to talk to your GP before you start going into cold water. voice-verified

I hear cold water swimmers making all sorts of claims about the benefits cold water swimming has on the immune system. voice-verified

And I'm sure that there may be something in it, but I'm not convinced. voice-verified

But this is what Heather had to say about immune function and cold water. voice-verified

Yeah, that's right. voice-verified

And that seems to be a reasonable idea, but again, one that really needs to be fleshed out properly in scientific studies. voice-verified

There is a whole branch of sports therapy called contrast therapy that uses this technique of sort of hot then cold water immersion. voice-verified

But again, it seems like the data to support doing that isn't sort of brilliant. voice-verified

Heather said there isn't any research into alternating sauna and cold water immersion that she knows of. voice-verified

But again, there were some things to bear in mind. voice-verified

I think there massively is. voice-verified

And there is this theory that works with saunas and cold water immersion, that the effects of being in a group and being surrounded by like-minded people, possibly you're in nature, and also that you're going through a sort of an ordeal together in some sense, which is kind of bonding, that might have wider impacts on your mental health. voice-verified

And it certainly... voice-verified

I mean, you're not going to be thinking too much about work woes when you're in three degree water or what have you. voice-verified

If you're in a sauna or in an ice bath, you just can't really do anything else except think or meditate or talk. voice-verified

You know, it's pretty restful and it's very sociable. voice-verified

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